Song of the Day: Le Loup – Beach Town

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Each and every Friday we offer songs by local artists. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Midday Show host Cheryl Waters, is “Beach Town” by Le Loup from the 2009 album Family on Hardly Art.

Hailing from the nation’s capitol, Sam Simkoff’s musical brainchild Le Loup hopes to bridge the sonic gap between a one-man bedroom project and a fleshed out full band. Now with a group of five surrounding him on guitars, bass, and drums, Simkoff has taken full advantage of power in numbers to develop a bigger sound on Le Loup’s second album, Family.

With a vocal opening that is reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat of Wonderland, Simkoff’s vocals on the track “Beach Town” drift to over you from the next room as a parade of chimes and tremolo wash over the track. A vacant, tribal drum beat transforms into an immediately present drumline cadence as the song progresses through its motions of instrumental waves and keeps a tight, funky beat that would make Mr. Clinton himself proud. As vocals introduced the song so too do they usher it away with a chamber full of Simkoff’s lilts a melody in repetition.

Le Loup is currently touring the United States with Portland band Nurses. Dates in the Pacific Northwest to look out for are 10/23 at Chop Suey and 10/25 at the Doug Fir in Portland. The band has a full tour schedule including dates in Chicago, San Francisco, L.A., and Austin so be sure to keep an eye on their website and MySpace page for all the details of their tour. And when they are in town this Friday, the will also be stopping by KEXP for live in-studio performance at 3PM.

It’s fitting that Le Loup should be featured on the first day of KEXP’s broadcast from CMJ since they were one of our most surprising guests last year. Here’s a video from their performance live on KEXP from Gibson Studios, filmed and edited by New York Noise: